Distant Echos
by Walking in Little Circles
Summary: It's the final battle of the Hunger Games. Katniss, Peeta, and Cato are the only ones left. Cato knows that the only way to leave the arena alive is to kill everyone else. However, is he ready for the challenges the final battle will bring?


**This is for GoldenTressedGoddess, better known as Goldie. Merry Christmas!**

**This was also edited by pixeljam. Merry Christmas to you too!**

"Katniss," I mutter like a curse. I want to make her pay. I want to make her feel every bit of pain, every bit of agony Clove felt. I miss her. I'm mad at that boy from District 11. He killed her. Clove, my one true love. What was his name again? Thresh? Who cares. I'm glad I killed him. I made his last moments even more painful than Clove's.

Clove... I think. I still can see her smile. She didn't smile often. Usually, her face was in a scowl. Once in awhile, I'd catch her smiling. It was always brief, but every time I saw her do it, my heart would melt.

The day she died, she had been about to kill Katniss. We both had vengeful thoughts towards her. How could you not hate someone who dropped a nest of trackerjacks on your head and most likely destroyed all of the supplies you had? I had wanted to be the one to kill her at the feast, but Clove begged me to let her do it. "I have an idea for her death," she told me, an evil grin on her face.

I shrug indifferetly. "That's fine with me. Just make sure to give everyone a show." Besides, I'd been allowed to kill a tribute already. Clove still hadn't had a chance yet.

That night, Clove and I sat in the bushes, waiting. As soon as the table for the feast was set in place, Carrot Head, the girl from district 5, ran off with her pack, Thresh and Katniss broke out of the trees, and all hell broke loose. Clove went for Katniss and I went for Thresh.

Thresh punched me in the gut. I could feel the air leave my stomach. I made a slash with my sword, but he dodged it and answered with a kick to the face. I blacked out for a minute. When I woke up, Thresh had his pack, ready to make a getaway. Clove had Katniss pinned down, kife against her throat. Thresh ran right past them. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around. I immediantely see what he's looking at. A rock. Before I could realize what was happening, he picked it up and bashed it into the back of Clove's head. I still remember her scream. "CATO!"

I ran to her. I was dimly aware of Katniss stumbling off and Thresh grabbing our pack. But only one thing mattered to me. "Clove," I sobbed, grasping her hand. "You're going to be fine. You're going to be fine. Just you wait. Our sponsers will pull through. I bet we have enough money for medeicine..."

"Cato," Clove murmured. "No medicine will help me now."

"Then," I take a deep breath. "What do you need?"

"Kill Katniss," Clove gasped. "Painfully."

I nodded. "I will. Don't worry Clove. You can bet your life I will."

Clove gave one last smile. "I am, Cato. I am."

* * *

I shiver, recalling that day. I have nothing on this Earth left except her one request. Kill Katniss. Kill her and that charade she and Peeta planned. _The star crossed lovers_. I spit on the ground. What a load of garbage.

I hear a rustling in the bushes. I know it's them. I allow a smile to cross my face. I'm going to have a lot of fun with them. First, I'll kill Peeta. His death will be a merciful one. I'll just let him get away with a broken neck, or maybe a sword through the head. It's better than he deserves, considering he betrayed me. As for Katniss, I'll rip her guts out one by one, starting with her liver and ending with her heart. I shudder in anticipation of my revenge. Swallowing my excitement, I peer behind the bushes, sword at the ready.

It's a dog. It comes up to about my shoulders on all fours. It's a mutt. It has to be, no normal dog would be this large. For a minute I'm about to turn and run, but then I see its eyes. They're olive brown, and they look so warm and inviting. They remind me of Clove's eyes whenever we were alone together, forming attack plans and cracking jokes about the other tributes.

I stumble back, shocked. Those _are _Clove's eyes. Looking closer, I can see a number 2 pinned on a piece of cloth. I feel my heart twist in fear. Without even thinking about it, I turn and run.

I glance over my shoulder. There's a huge group of mutts chasing me now. Marvel's eyes, Glimmer's eyes, Clove's eyes, Thresh's eyes, Carrot Head's eyes. I curse out loud. Crap. I'm in trouble now. I know I have to hide somewhere. _A tree_, I think. Just as I'm about to run towards one, I see a mutt knock it down. I need a new plan. Suddenly, my feet slip and the world starts to spin. I get up, spitting leaves out of my mouth. Everything turns into a blur after that. The fear corsing through my body isn't shutting me down, it's waking me up. There is hundreds, if not thousands of mutts following me. They each have the number of a dead tribute on them. 1, 3, 5. Marvel, Chip, Carrot Head. 2, 4. Clove and Rania. Are those their real eyes? If so, how did the capital get them?

I shake my head. There's no time for little thoughts like that. I have to get out of this mess. I see the Cornucopia in the distance. _The Cornucopia_. That isn't too far from here, and it would be impossible for the mutts to knock it down. I make a beeline for it. Katniss and Peeta are standing right there, but I ignore them. I grip the sides of the Cornucopia and start climbing. The metal is scorching hot and my fingers start to sting. I reach the top and catch my breath. "Can they climb it?" I ask, panting. I feel a stitch in my side. I've never run so long in my life. One second passes. Two. Three. When it's clear they're not answering, I glance down the right side.

The mutts can climb the spine. Crap. I grip my sword, ready to fight. Swish, swish, mutts begain to look identical. Blood soaks my shirt along with my sweat. Suddenly, I hear a gasp behind me. Peeta. Without thinking, I seize him by the throat, yanking him away from Katniss. I'm about to kill him when suddenly, I see Katniss' face, white with fear.

Clove.

I stop just short of snapping Peeta's neck, causing him to utter a pained gasp. This is almost the same situation Clove died in, and I was helpless, unable to help her. During my moment of hesitation, I hear Katniss draw her bow. _Stupid,_ I scold myself. _You got this far, why didn't you kill him? _Now here she is, arrow loaded, ready to kill me. But she's not. I blink for a moment. She has my life in her hands, why isn't she killing me? That's when I realize she can't. Not without killing him too. The instant she does, I'll go over the Cornucopia, Peeta in tow. At the moment, we're at a standoff. But it's clear I'm winning. His lips are turning blue. Soon, he'll die of asphyxiation. I smile. 22 down, one to go.

Suddenly, his fingers, dripping with blood, make an X on my hand. I'm puzzled. Why in the world would he do that? Katniss releases her arrow. I feel it slam into my hand. X marks the spot. I drop him on a reflex, and Petta slams into me. I tumble backwards into the air. I hit the ground with a thump. The mutts are coming at me, sliding off the Corucopia. There's nowhere I can run now. I draw your sword. I have fight them off. I'm going to get back up there and when I do, they're gonna pay big time. I kill one, two, three, four, and my arms are starting to get sore. Five, six, seven, eight, I feel like I'm about to faint. Nine, ten, eleven, and then I feel it. The blow from behind. I'm not ready for it, and I fall to the ground, losing my sword. I feel a pull on my shirt drag me backwards. Are the mutts going to kill me in the Cornucopia? Yes they are. No, no, no. I don't want to go this way! The Capital is sure to make my death slow. They have the world at their fingertips. They can make anything they want to happen happen. They can kill whomover they choose whenever they choose. They've chosen my destiny. I have no choice in the matter. I glance up one last time and see the setting sun. I know for a certainty that this will be the last sun I'll ever see.

I feel the first nibble of the dogs. The nibbles turn to bites, and I start to scream. It hurts. There is no stronger word I can come up with for the pain I feel as I'm being mauled to death. I begin to lose track of time. I'm dimly aware of it getting darker, but that's the only clue I have of the passing time. This is my final reality, maybe the only one that ever existed for me. It's a dark one. But if it's the Capital's choice, so be it. It then dawns on me that they also planned Clove's death. The thought fills me with rage, and I scream even louder. Why is the Capital so cruel?

Eventually, at long last, they leave me alone. I watch them bound away into the sunrise, almost looking like legendary creatures from the pages of a story book. But the pain they inflicted on me still lingers. I wish I was dead. I could be with Clove. The Capital can't do anything to me once I'm dead, right? The thought makes me smile. _I'm coming Clove_, I think. _Soon. _

Suddenly, a girl's face is visible. I see the bow, the arrow. Katniss. "Please," I beg. She sends me a look, pity, maybe, and sends her arrow into my skull, ending my life. _Thank you_, I think. _Thank you._


End file.
